1st Judgment ⚖ Action ⚖ Open

[whatisright]

Who: Justice and You
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Evac Station, SS Caprine
When: After the destruction of the planet, and then after everything can be done for the refugees.

Evac Station - Action

[Justice is tireless about getting the refugees settled after the planet is destroyed. Literally tireless--he never stops to eat, drink, or sleep. When there is a pause in the work, he only stops to hover by his two unconscious friends, watching them with naked concern on his face but never speaking nor attempting to wake them up.

He's just putting away more supplies when he pauses, head turning to watch a refugee man sitting on the floor, rifling through a bag. When he speaks, his voice is a touch more stern than usual.] What are you doing?

[The man looks up at him, fingering the bag.] "Just, uh, looking at my stuff."

You're lying. That's not yours.

[The color drains from the man's face even as he tries to smile and instinctively clutches the bag tighter.] "What are you talking about? Of course it's mine."

[This just sours Justice's mood further, and he turns the full weight of his glare on the man.] You stole it from a family while they slept. Your misfortune is no excuse to steal from those suffering just as much as yourself. You will return it with all its original contents immediately.

SS Caprine - Action

[Justice never actually properly explored the ship he was assigned, so enchanted he was by the planet they were on.

So now he's just getting to know what's supposed to be his home now. He unfortunately doesn't have a lot of social awareness, as may be evidenced by the fact that he chooses to look like a walking corpse, and he just wanders into random rooms, bedrooms included, to stand at the center or pick up particularly well-used objects and run his fingers across them.

Congratulations on your new weirdo, Caprine.]

[Edited to add: Justice has psychic and object-reading abilities. For more info and to let me know what's cool for him to pick up, here's a permissions post.]

Comments

[whatisright]

[Neither of them acknowledge Vash, apparently still assuming he's asleep. The guy is white now, his fingers twisted in the fabric of the bag.] "You don't know that."

Of course I do. [Justice says it like it's obvious, and he's impatient with the man playing dumb.] You were waiting for a chance to take someones' bags, and they were the first opportunity you saw. You hesitated when you saw the children, but you rationalized it as you were unlucky and deserved it. [Justice's nose wrinkles, like he can't stand to even be in the same room as the man.] Of course, ignoring the fact that the family is in just as dire straits now that your planet is gone.

[The man clutches the bag, his voice weak as he tries to speak.] "That is really creepy."

[Justice plows forward anyway, as if he doesn't even hear him.] Return the bag and atone for your theft by helping move supplies. If you refuse to return the bag, I will return it for you.

[goldenglasses]

[Alright. This guy clearly wasn't taking the warning fast enough. At least not for Vash's liking. Time to add a little more pressure to do the right thing.

It's almost as if Vash had the ability to teleport with the way he's suddenly next to the man with the bag with a large smile on his face.

Vash lazily drapes his arm across the man's shoulders in a friendly manner.] Oh! There you are buddy! Sorry, looks like I nodded off while we were moving those supplies together. Hahaha! Sorry about that.

[Vash squeezes his arm tighter around the man's shoulder cutting off his attempt to question his new "friend" he suddenly had.]

Tell you what! You take that bag you found back to the family who lost it like a good Samaritan while I move a few extra crates. Then once you're done with that we can go back to organizing things together. Sound good?

[His voice is full of friendly tones and peps, but he gives his arm a squeeze at the key words the man should pay attention to. There are now TWO witnesses to his crime. He better take the out while he had it.]

[whatisright]

[Justice is... baffled. Because suddenly there's a man there, and he is lying through his teeth. This would normally make him angry, but he's having trouble figuring out why he's lying, because clearly, the thief has no idea who he is either.

But the thief scrambles to his feet, glancing between the new man and Justice nervously.] "Right, right. I found it. And I'm giving it back." [He scurries away, Justice's eyes following him. Justice feels the intent to hand the bag over, so he doesn't feel the need to follow. He'll know if the thief reneges.

Then Justice turns to face the new man, confusion clear on his face.] Why did you lie?

[goldenglasses]

[Vash isn't surprised at getting caught in his lie. It wasn't his best and he was tired.

He shrugs his right shoulder lazily and gives a lopsided smile.]

I suppose because he just needed a little more of a push. We all do stupid things now and then. He'll fix his mistake and life can keep moving on. Besides, I was going to help move supplies anyway and now I can have a helper.

Either way it ended the argument sooner didn't it? [And it avoided a needless fight!]

[whatisright]

[Justice frowns at the man with yellow hair, trying to puzzle through his reasoning. He lied in order to convince the thief to return the stolen goods. He lied to push the thief into atonement, and in order to avoid further conflict and possible violence.]

Lying is wrong. [Justice says this firmly. Lying is wrong, and this man lied. That said, he can grudgingly admit...] But I understand why you did it.

[He's not sure what to do when immoral actions are taken to moral effect. Should a person be judged based on the action or the effect? If they're to be judged on both, which should be weighted more?

These are complicated questions that Justice believes he'll be mulling over for some time.] With luck, he will take this as a lesson to not steal in the future.

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, I know. [But he's just so good at it!]

I take it you're not a big fan of lying. Hey! Just curious, [And part he can't help himself. He's not even sure this guy will fully understand what he's about to ask.]

But have you ever been slapped by a woman who asked: does this outfit make me look fat? And you told her yes?

[whatisright]

No.

[Justice frowns in mild confusion, though that's not too different from his usual expression, which is a perpetual frown.]

I have never been asked my opinion on a woman's clothes. [Nor does he think that his opinion would be all that helpful. He pays attention to clothes even less than he pays attention to faces. Plus, all the women he's spent significant time with so far have been Grey Wardens, and the Grey Wardens aren't really considered fashion-conscious.] Is that something mortals concern themselves with?

[goldenglasses]

Yeah. Most women like to be told they're pretty. Especially when they're asking how they look.

So tell them a little white lie and they feel better.

[whatisright]

Why would anyone ask a question if they do not wish for an honest answer? [This sounds like madness to Justice, and not for the first time he wonders if a woman's perspective is different enough to require him trying to take it for a while.

This is especially strange for him because he's still pretty vague on what counts as an aesthetically beautiful mortal and an aesthetically ugly one. He's seen things he considers undeniably beautiful, and he's felt them, but visually, most mortals look pretty similar to him.]

[goldenglasses]

I'm pretty sure it's to feel better about themselves? I could be wrong about that, but I do know everyone likes to hear something good about themselves.

[Vash just grins. Feeling some amusement in the conversation although what he really wanted to be doing was getting more sleep.]

Would I be right in guessing you haven't had much time around mortals?

[whatisright]

Most of the time I have spent with mortals have been when they dream or when they have perished and their soul lingers in the dreaming world. [Or when they summoned him, but that's uncommon and generally unwelcome.] I only came to the waking world recently.

[So if his social skills seem lacking, there's a good reason.] Is it not sad for a person to depend on lies to 'feel good about themselves'? Would it not be better to find self esteem in one's own honest virtue?

[goldenglasses]

I suppose that would explain-- [--why you look like a dead guy. Vash shakes his head and grins to himself.]

Never mind. And, yeah, I can see your point there. But have you heard the saying the truth can hurt?

[whatisright]

Why I 'look like a dead guy', yes. [Yeah, he can read minds too, Vash.] My mortal companions recognize me in this form, so I chose to keep it when I arrived here.

[Yeah, he chooses to look this way. He really doesn't get how he comes across.] If a person asks a question and the truth will hurt, that is simply evidence that they should hear the truth.

[goldenglasses]

[That was a bit disconcerting. It's hard to control one's thoughts, but at least Vash knows to keep his mind in check now.]

I guess I like to decide how bad the truth might hurt. The world can be a mean place sometimes. Let them have a little bit of joy.

[whatisright]

Telling the truth does not mean you must be cruel. [He does not see how honesty is ever unkind, mainly because he has such limited experience with talking to mortals. He hasn't encountered a situation where truth would do nothing but harm, and a gentle lie would be be the kindest thing. His fundamentally simplistic view of the world makes it difficult for him to imagine a situation where that would be true without having experienced it himself.]

[goldenglasses]

Well, just don't say I didn't warn you if you end up getting smacked by a pretty girl who asks if her dress makes her look fat and you answer honestly and what she was hoping you'd say is: No, honey! That dress looks amazing on you! You're so pretty; why are you even worried about looking fat in anything!

That's what they really want to hear. Even if they do look a tad fat in one dress over the other.

[Says a man who has been single for other a hundred years.]

[whatisright]

[Justice thinks on the women he's grown close to. Riona, Velanna, and Sigrun. He tries to imagine any of them slapping him over his comment on a dress.

Velanna, maybe, but it's doubtful. She never seemed sensitive about her clothes, just the size of her ears. The idea of Riona or Sigrun getting so angry over a dress seems downright laughable.]

I think we speak with very different women.

[This is the only conclusion he can draw.]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, that's probably true as well.

But, look, if you have any more problems with people being untruthful around here you let me know, alright? I'll be happy to help.

[whatisright]

Very well. I appreciate your assistance in this matter. [Even if Justice disapproves of the method, he has to admit that justice was done and no one was hurt in the process. That is definitely a good thing.]

[goldenglasses]

Hey, anytime! I'm always happy to help out!

[Vash cracks his back with a sigh.] Well, these crates won't finish moving themselves. Back to work.